Vard Holdings has secured a contract to design and build the very first electric hybrid cruise icebreaker for France's Ponant.
The contract value for the Polar Class 2 icebreaker is approximately NOK 2.7 billion ($323m), said Vard, which has shipyards in Norway, Romania, Brazil, and Vietnam.
The newbuild is the first electric hybrid cruise icebreaker with dual fuel propulsion, featuring high-capacity batteries and LNG storage on board, the Singapore-listed company said.
“This is a really exciting project for us, and we look forward to building the Ponant icebreaker for polar expedition voyages," chief executive Roy Reite said.
It is designed to take passengers to polar destinations such as the true geographic North Pole, the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea and Peter I Island.
The 270-berth ship, being developed by Ponant, Stirling Design International, Aker Arctic and Vard, will have 135 staterooms and a crew of 180 persons.
The vessel will be 150 metres long and have a top speed of 15 knots in open water.
The hull will be built at Vard Tulcea in Romania.
Delivery is scheduled from Vard Soviknes in Norway in the second quarter of 2021.
